squarecanopy

Got my NEW MAIN CANOPY rigged into my container, and we are going jumping on the 24th to try it out. My youngest son is off student status now, so we can jump together and that is way cool- What else could I want ! Just burning a hole in the sky.....

To all of you Vets- Thanks does not seem to be enough for your service, but THANKS AND GOD BLESS to all of you!! I have two sons in the Marines, and I am proud of and concerned for all of you all the time. Our freedom is purchased by your sacrifice, and we do sincerely appreciate it. Thanks again- Bill Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Rock on Erika! It is funny how working outside in 40 degrees F seems like it is so cold, but jumping out of an airplane at -5 degrees F at altitude is OK! Welcome to skydiving and the forums, it's about the only sport that is this much fun at any temperature!

I was as cynical about Jesus as anybody else on this thread before I became a Christian. That was mainly due to a lack of information, assumptions, and misinformation that I had heard from friends, family, priests, "religious people", etc etc. It is a matter of faith, not facts. Faith in God is between you and God. Religion is man made, and subject to all the flaws and mistakes that prevail in everything else touched by mankind. My faith is based on my willingness to believe the Bible, which I consider to be the inspired word of God, left here to guide us since Jesus' departure. And yes, he is coming back. NOBODY knows the time or place, but he will be here...someday. If I am right, I will find out on that day. If I am wrong, I will find out when it doesn't happen, or I will just be dead.

Hey Yvonne, Please tell Troy that we are pulling for him too! Have him meditate on your shirt and then DO IT. No, not the one that says "boobies"; the one that says 'ARCH BREATHE RELAX"!! He's GOT to get out of the plane so he can show off his sitfly to the instructors as well. Rock on tomorrow and have a good time. Anxiously awaiting news.....BSSLDFTP,Bill Just burning a hole in the sky.....

You can say that again, Katee. We call her LSPTM(Little Super Pink Tunnel Monkey) at the wind tunnel. I am sure freefall control won't be an issue! You GO, Yvonne! Show 'em how an AFF sitflys! Love Ya, Bill Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Hey Grounded- I agree with Skymama- that is the essence of this sport. To expand on it a little: Pros: In this day and age, the equipment is good enough (downright awesome compared to 25 years ago when I first tried to get into it- and didn't jump because of the gear) and the training has evolved to a level that if you want to do it, the risks are definately manageable. There is nothing else in this world that offers the freedom and excitement of skydiving, NOTHING! Cons: You will run into a few egomaniac twits over time, but many less per capita than you will find in the rest of the world. The big negative, as is so eloquently stated elsewhere on thes forums, is that if you stink at skydiving you will die doing it. If you get good at it and stick with it, over time you will see others die doing it. As for the A H's who can't talk to women with respect, you will run into them- but the vast majority of skydivers are here to jump-with whomever. This is one sport where men and women are welcome to participate as equals! So my advice is to make a few more jumps and see if it is something that you really want to pursue! Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Josh, Thank you for the all the sound advice and safety talks...I appreciate you looking out for me and I wish you still could. I think it rocks that you were the one to take my wife tandem, she really had a great jump because of you. We will jump together again one day at that dropzone where the ground never rises up and swats us down...Peace man. Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Ashley, Welcome to this sport and the forums! I'm sad for you that you have lost friends so soon after starting skydiving. I have not lost any jump buddies, but over the years have lost pilot friends in general aviation airplane crashes, so I have dealt with this as you are now. Hang in there through the loss of your friends- consider what they might say to you if they were here. I'm pretty sure they would not want you to quit jumping because of what happened to them, if it is something you really want to pursue. We all know the possible down side of airplanes, skydiving, etc. To keep jumping or flying actually honors friends/family who have died doing these things. I love the sky and will always find solice for my heavy heart in the memory of flying friends with whom I have been fortunate enough to have shared that love. Blue Skies Safe Landings, Bill Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Bobbi, I like the fact that you are honest about why you smoke-and I support the idea that it is your choice. My father died at age 72 of lung cancer after a lifetime of smoking and what tore me up was not that he died-it is just that I can say from watching him go from an on-the-go outdoorsman type in robust health (6 ft tall 190 pounds) to 112 pounds and unable to walk for 3 weeks before he died that LUNG CANCER IS A SHITTY WAY TO DIE. Please consider that aspect. BSSL, Bill Just burning a hole in the sky.....

April You Wild Woman!!!!!!! Congratulations on completing AFF!!! Keep rockin' and PLEEEZE take a canopy class as soon as you can- it will help your landings and understanding of what your canopy is doing, both up high and in the landing sequence. I can tell you that if I would have taken a canopy class earlier on, I might not have shattered my leg on one of my landings, so get in one SOON!!! You will be glad you did. Again , Conratulations! BSSL, Bill Oh, and dont forget to pull! Just burning a hole in the sky.....

He was a pioneer carrying out important high altitude research for the space program. Someone had to do the jumps and he led from the front. In short, I think he's an absolute legend If you talk to some of the jumpers that worked with the program, they tell a much different story. According to several of them, Kittenger was selected soley off him being an officer. Their version of the story has a couple of enlisted jumpers with high hundreds of jumps being passed over just because they were enlisted. -Blind I think it really is a shame when rank and politics prevail over best man for the job and experience. If that it what really happened, too damn bad that the most qualified jumper did not get the opportunity to make those jumps. But the fact remains that Kittinger did make those pioneering jumps, and I think he's one of the greats of his time right along with Crossfield and Yeager, the Mercury 7, etc. Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Hey Ross, No offense taken, sir. There are just so many different levels of knowledge and understanding here on the forums that you never know if somebody seriously believes some of the stuff they are laying down or if they are just kidding! I also continue to get a kick out of the subtle differences in syntax, culture, etc. between us as we are from all over the world. If I had bothered to read your profile before I responded, I may have realized your jest because of your being Scottish. Then again, I am rather slow on the uptake sometimes, so maybe not!Thanks for the follow up- BSSL, Bill Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Hey Nico, Congratulations on completing your AFF!!! We will be up at Mile High on Sunday, maybe we will run into each other! I'm the guy in the red white and blue jumpsuit that packs at the lightning pace of twice as long as everybody else... There are a couple of other firefighters who jump regularly at Mile Hi as well- Welcome to skydiving! BSSL, Bill Just burning a hole in the sky.....

YEAAAAH!!!!! What Jack said!!! Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Most people on this PLANET think you and I are total loons for jumping out of Properly Operating Aircraft (POA's). I personally think that Joe Kittenger is one of the bravest toughest human beings to ever strap on a parachute. What we do can be construed as lunacy by those who know nothing about our sport, but the facts say that it is relatively safe to be a sport skydiver these days because we are following in the footsteps of many thousands who have contributed to the evolution of our gear. What Joe Kittenger did took real courage because he was a pioneer and there was nobody before him to prove the theories that he tested. He is one of my heroes and has the distinction of being the only man in history to ever go supersonic in a skydive!!!! Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Hello, Jeanna! Welcome to the forums, and to the sport! It continues to fascinate me that I find people passionate about other sports, but not any where near the level of passion and commitment that skydivers display, just like your comment about the unknown void in your life before now-keep rockin'!!! BSSL,Bill Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Welcome, Martin! You have joined the elite class of people that find solace, adventure, friendship, and pleasure in .....leaving airworthy and properly operating airplanes in flight and falling to earth like Large Heavy Rocks!! That should scare anybody with a functioning brain !! Seriously, I still get amped up sometimes just before the door, and I deep breathe and think about my diveplan, landing plan, and what a good rig I have on my back. The jitters leave, and I can enjoy the last minute or so of the airplane ride and then the EXIT!!! It is natural to have a great measure of respect for the risks that we take, and if that manifests itself in a little fear now and then, I think it will keep you healthy and enjoying jumping for many years to come. I find that the more training I get the less jittery I am near exit time too. If you haven't yet taken a canopy flying class, sign up and take one as soon as possible. It is the best money I have spent in a while! Blue Skies Safe Landings, Bill Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Hey Sandy, Keep jumping, it is training that overcomes your instinct that danger lurks out there in the open air. It won't take long before you lose your door fear, but you won't get complacent either. I flew in small airplanes for years, and was extremely scared about jumping out of them because my experience told me that the safe place was in the plane. Now I get nervous when I can't get out of the airplane soon enough because my experience after 50 jumps tells me the challenge, fun, freedom, and rush are outside the airplane. Have fun, train hard, don't forget to pull... Just burning a hole in the sky.....

I have never had an out of body experience, but I have had several out of beer experiences that were positively horrifying..... Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Jeff, I am always reminded of that bullriding song Chris LaDeaux sings..." Got a jingle in my jeans, sore places in between..." Parachutes can do it to you the same way(except the jingle part, all skydiving does for me is REMOVE all the jingle )and I would suggest having your instructor check your rig closely after you put it on. Openings should not hurt, it is indicative of a slight problem(head down body position on opening, trashy pack job, etc) or improperly fitted harness, just make sure your harness is fitting snug and is comfortable. BSSL, Bill Just burning a hole in the sky.....

April, You are a hoot! It is cool to see someone as excited and addicted to skydiving as I am. Look forward to continued reports of your progress, I will keep you posted on mine! Sounds like your'e definately putting in the effort, keep up the good work!! BSSL, Bill Just burning a hole in the sky.....

April, My suggestion would be to search deeep in your soul and try and figure out if you really want to pursue this sport, because from what I have read so far you just aren't very excited about all this.... Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Hey, April! Welcome to the world of nutjobs who jump out of good airplanes on purpose! And then dream about it whenever they aren't! MY KIND OF GROUP.... As you probably read on one of my previous posts on this thread, I was a nervous nitwit when I started-it took me about ten jumps before my heart rate didn't skyrocket when they would open the door. Remember that anybody who isn't at least a little scared is the exception-fear is the normal reaction to the risk and the unknown. Focus on the TRAINING, and you will be able to train out the instinctual reactions to all things you encounter out in the air-both normal and emergency stuff that comes up. That's why we train, and why we never stop learning. I am no longer nervous, in fact I look forward to the open door and the 55 seconds of freedom and adrenalin that waits out there- Just burning a hole in the sky.....

Chris, the reason you have gotten such a negative response to your posts is that nobody here will respect your opinion with your short time in the sport and 37 jumps. When you have got 2000 packs under your belt then you can make statements like you have made here and folks will respect the fact that your perspective comes from experience and not the ignorant position of a beginner know-it-all. Just burning a hole in the sky.....